The snowy season is upon us, which means it’s the perfect time to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and watch a great Holiday film! If you need some suggestions, the PFS staff has picked their favorite flicks for the wintery months!

Fans of Will Ferrell-Adam McKay collaborations have been waiting nearly a decade for a follow up to arguably their best work together so far. Quotes from the original are burned into our vernacular – “I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch,” “60% of the time, it works every time,” “I’m in a glass case of emotion!” Now, the wait is over; Anchorman 2 barrels into theaters next Friday.

The film picks up with Ron Burgundy collecting his news team for a spot in the brand new 24-hour news network in New York City. From the opening credits to the closing scene, Anchorman 2 reaches new heights in comedy. Champ Kind is louder, Brian Fantana is smoother, Brick Tamland is Brickier, and Ron Burgundy is all around more legendary.

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, it’s easy to get wrapped up in all the hustle and bustle of Black Friday, Shop Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. But this year, another event has been brought to my attention, #GivingTuesday. On Tuesday December 3rd, the nation will come together to celebrate and encourage the charitable activities that support nonprofits, who work tirelessly throughout the year to build their communities, and PFS is happy to be one of 5,000 organizations participating.

PFS is fortunate to be able to give back to the community in a variety of ways. During the Philadelphia Film Festival, we have the PFF on Us and Student Education programs. Most recently, we were able to make 30% of the inaugural Philadelphia Independent Children’s Film Festival free of charge, and we are look forward to beginning our Filmadelphia at the Roxy Series, through which local filmmakers can screen their work. None of these programs would be possible without the your support.

One of Philadelphia’s greatest attributes is its booming art culture and we’re proud to be listed among Philadelphia’s nonprofit staples like the Art Museum, the Zoo and The Barnes Foundation (to name a few…). We can’t wait to officially re-open the PFS Theater at the Roxy, the new home of PFS, and launch year-round screenings and education programs that will enhance cinematic culture throughout Philadelphia.

Come Tuesday Dec. 3rd (#GivingTuesday), we invite you to support PFS in our efforts to complete the renovation of the PFS Theater at the Roxy through our Text To Give campaign. By having our own venue, PFS will be able to expand our free ticketing programs exponentially and share the power of film with the entire Philadelphia community. Our work wouldn’t be possible without your generous support.

Terms and Conditions:A one-time donation of $5.00 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Donor must be age 18+ and all donations must be authorized by the account holder (e.g. parents). By texting YES, the user agrees to the terms and conditions. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of the Philadelphia Film Society by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. Message & Data Rates May Apply. You can unsubscribe at any time by texting STOP to short code 80100; text HELP to 80100 for help.

This past weekend, the PFS Theater at the Roxy opened up its doors for the first ever Philadelphia International Children’s Film Festival. It was a fun filled weekend of films, prizes and giveaways.

On Friday, The Roxy saw its first full house for the Opening Night film Zarafa. Kids coming to see the film took a second on the red carpet outside to snap a picture with their favorite characters.

On Saturday, we had a day of back-to-back films including the acclaimed Wolf Children, Kirikou, and Welcome to the Space Show.

The Festival finished up on Sunday with films in the morning followed by the Closing Night festivities and film The ZigZagKid. Children at the Closing Night Festivities enjoyed a Stop Motion Animation Workshop, Caricatures, and another chance to snap a picture with their favorite characters.

One of the most talked about films of this year’s festival was ‘Nebraska’. It even ended up on my top five favorite films of the festival. Originally, star Bruce Dern was meant to come out for the screening and receive the Lifetime Achievement Award that has previously gone to the likes of Roy Disney, Jeff Daniels, and Morgan Freeman, but he was unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances. However, in his place, his co-star Will Forte and director Alexander Payne came out for an engaging Q&A with the audience at the Prince Music Theater. But prior to the event, the pair walked the red carpet and chatted with some press, including yours truly!

In part one of our coverage of this red carpet, Zach of The Pretentious Film Majors spoke to Payne about the benefits of film school, making movies in the state of Nebraska, and his journey since making ‘Election’. You can see the whole interview in the video below:

Were you able to catch the screening of ‘Nebraska’? Was it one of your favorites of the festival as well? Let us know by sending us a tweet at us at @PhillyFilmSoc or by leaving us a comment on our Facebook page.

It has been nearly a week since the 22nd Philadelphia Film Festival ended and over the 11-day celebration of film, one of the brightest nights was Monday October 21 at the Prince Music Theater. The Philadelphia Film Festival welcomed director Alexander Payne and actor Will Forte for a Centerpiece screening of Nebraska.

As the 22nd annual Philadelphia Film Festival comes to a close, you can relive the fun that was had at the festival’s opening night with this blog post. Attendees raved about ‘All Is Lost’, the gripping nautical tale of solitude, determination, and survival, as well as the stellar performance from veteran actor Robert Redford.

Prior to the opening night screening at the Kimmel Center, director J.C. Chandor walked the red carpet and talked with The Pretentious Film Majors about the incredible film. In the following video, you can see Chandor talk about the unconventionally short shooting script, the train ride that inspired the story, and more:

Did you have fun at the opening night of PFF22? What did you think of ‘All Is Lost’? Was it one of your favorites of this year’s festival? Let us know your answers to all these questions by sending us a tweet at us at @PhillyFilmSoc or by leaving us a comment on our Facebook page.

There are a number of awards given out during the Philadelphia Film Festival recognizing the excellence of works from the present. But there is only one that honors the future. The Rising Star Award acknowledges a talented young artist early in his or her career who has displayed great potential in the filmmaking process. Previous recipients of the award were Ben Foster, Mark Webber, and Shane West, and this year the distinction goes to Kerry Bishe.

The star of PFF22 films ‘Blue Highway’ and ‘Grand Piano’ appeared at the Ritz East to accept her award in front of an enthusiastic festival crowd, but afterwards she took a few moments to talk to The Pretentious Film Majors and I about her most recent honor, as well as her work on various projects such as the two films of hers in the festival, ‘Scrubs’, Ben Affleck, Kevin Smith, and much more. You can check out the whole interview in the video below:

Are you a fan of Kerry Bishe and her work? What did you think about her films in the festival this year? Let us know your answers to all these questions by sending us a tweet at us at @PhillyFilmSoc or by leaving us a comment on our Facebook page.

Last night, we kicked off the 22nd annual Philadelphia Film Festival in a HUGE way. If you missed out on the festivities at the Kimmel Center and Del Frisco’s, don’t worry because it was just the beginning of all the fun to be had at this year’s Festival. However, in a program of over 90 films, it might be a little hard to decide what to see. Luckily, my Pretentious Film Majors colleague, Zachary Shevich, had a chance to catch up with the Philadelphia Film Society’s Artistic Director Michael Lerman in order to chat about the ongoing Festival and some films that are definitely worth checking out.

Prior to the Festival, a few of the programmers assembled the film society members together for an exclusive member only curator event to talk about what to expect out of this year’s line up and some gems that might be over looked in the program guide. Check out the video below to see which films Michael and Zach suggest you make a part of your schedule over the next few days:

If you’re still stumped about which films to check out during this festival, keep an eye out for some of my most anticipated films, along with exclusive interviews, giveaways, and announcements from PFF22 right here on the Philadelphia Film Society blog.

We Are What We Are opens as a torrential downpour hits a small upstate New York town. Muddy water fills the street and people stay in their homes for the most part, except for Mrs. Parker, who ventures out to the general store. On the way home, she slips, hits her head and dies, sinking into dirty water beside the road. Upon learning of her mother’s demise, Rose Parker, the eldest of the family, is forced into her mother’s role of carrying out the family’s annual religious ceremony.